Allegory And Symbolism In 1984 By George Orwell

613 Words3 Pages
George Orwell’s 1984 overall themes centers itself around warning the reader about dangers of a totalitarian government and its control. Orwell uses several rhetorical and literary devices and strategies to piece together his story creating an omnipresent Oceania superstate under constant surveillance. The most predominant items he uses are imagery, allegory, and symbolism. Together, these devices pair to create a dystopian classic surrounding the main character Winston Smith. There are many symbols in 1984 that cue the reader to what is happening further into the novel. Some important symbols in the book were the ever abundant telescreens, the paperweight and the St. Clement’s Church. The Party’s control surrounded the Oceanians with constant propaganda that gave way to a “reality” with a contradicting basis of facts, giving the people of Oceania no past to remember or recall. A blatant device that Orwell presents to the reader towards the end of the story, is when the glass paperweight shatters.…show more content…
The most important allegory in this story becomes the red-armed prole woman. Orwell demonstrates Winston’s sense of longing towards the woman, freedom soaring from her depths. Party members are not allowed to sing, and Winston and Julia both hear her, and her song. Winston meticulously watches her, through the window of the rented bedroom. He suddenly became angry at the fact that “the birds sang, the proles sang, and the Party did not” which gave the proles more freedom, which made Winston think about the Proles being able to constitute a massive success in rebelling against the Party (Orwell 221). Winston and Julia also see this prole woman as a allegorical symbol of reproductive hope towards the future. Her “sturdy” body, “thick arms” and “marelike buttocks” was an indication to the reader that she had the potential to bear many rebelling children to overthrow the Party (Orwell
Show More
Related

  • Totalitarianism And Allegory In George Orwell's Animal Farm

    1819 Words  | 8 Pages

    George Orwell is a author well known all over the world. He is known for his pessimistic writing and strong beliefs against communism. He has had two major selling novels. These are Nineteen Eighty-four and Animal Farm. In George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, he uses the characters and storyline to represent the Soviet Union during Communist rule. The symbolism and allegory in the novel show what life was like for common people in the Russian Revolution. George Orwell was born on June 25, 1903, in

    Read More

More about Allegory And Symbolism In 1984 By George Orwell

Open Document